Types of Leadership

Many attempts have been made to classify leaders. According to H.T Mazumdar there are three kinds of leadership –traditional, bureaucratic and charismatic. The traditional leader gets his authority through the traditional status ascribed to him. Thus the Brahmin is the traditional leader of Hindu society. The bureaucratic leader gets his authority and power through delegation from election or from appointment. The charismatic leader creates his own authority. He may be a party leader, a religious leader, a social leader or a revolutionary leader.

Bogardus has mentioned the following kinds of leadership. Direct and indirect leadership.Social, executive and mental leadership, partisan and scientific leadership.Prophets, saints, experts and boss.Autocratic, charismatic, paternal and democratic leadership. The three most significant types of leaders today are the administrator, the expert and agitator. With the extension of state activity and political controls the power of government bureaucracy has tremendously increased. The complicated industrial and military systems cannot operate without the expert. The agitator in time of grave economic insecurity and widespread anxiety about the future political order assumes an important role in mass society such as ours.

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